Welcome to the March 2023 edition of ZENFULdog of the Month featuring Zeus! Zeus is Chantal and Jamie’s first dog and he is a very loved sheepadoodle—especially by his pet-parents and by the ZENFULdog community.
Zeus
Age: 2.5 years old (still acts like an energetic puppy!)
Meet Zeus’ Family
(Chantal—Zeus’s pet-mom): Chantal loves design and adventure—she loves traveling to new countries, trying new food or activities and outdoorsy adventures (like kayaking and hiking).
“Zeus is my fur child, co-worker (I work remotely) and adventure pal. I do pretty much everything with him because I love spending time with him. [We do] outdoorsy stuff (like hiking), [go to] patios and dog-friendly shops, I [teach him] new tricks, [take him on] play dates, etc…. He always makes me laugh with his silly personality. He is 100% the best part of my day.”
(Jamie—Zeus’s pet-dad): Jamie is a pilot so he loves flying. Jamie also loves traveling, riding his motorcycle and gaming. “Zeus is [Jamie’s] best pal, hide-and-seek partner and tug-of-war opponent.”
Chantal describes Zeus's Personality: Zeus is a “playful and loving floof [who] loves people and other dogs and is up for anything. [Zeus is a] happy dog [who is] always smiling [and] cuddly. He loves to dive his face into the snow and then ends up with snowballs everywhere!”
Chantal Shares The Most Unique Thing about Zeus: Zeus is very funny and playful. He tries to sneak up on his pet-parents by doing “a slow-motion walk.”
Zeus' favourite Treats/Foods according to Chantal: Zeus enjoys peanut butter, smoothies, treats his mom makes, sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers and frozen kongs.
Chantal Lists Zeus’s Favourite Activities:
Fetch
Playing in the snow
Hikes with ZENFULdog
Playdates with other dogs
Obstacle courses
Puzzles “(I’ll line up a few different puzzles and he loves doing them)”
Lunch at Carrots n Dates
Tug-of-war
Playing with toys
Hanging with his cousin—Chloe
(Hopefully kayaking one day…)
How Zeus Unwinds After a Full Day of Activity: Zeus unwinds by cuddling with his mom and chewing on a stick or dental chew.
Zeus’s Training
Zeus has done private classes at ZENFULdog and regularly joins the Cani-Trail team for hikes. Chantal loves Cani-Trail hikes with Zeus and appreciates that they challenge him and give him exposure to other dogs.
Chantal Tells Us How Training has Shaped Zeus: Zeus is Chantal’s first dog so Chantal learned a lot from one-on-one training sessions with Kendra. “She helped me learn how to communicate with Zeus and build my connection with him. She gave me the foundations and now it’s so rewarding to continue to teach him new things on my own. He picks up everything fast. Zeus and I both love the Cani-Trail hikes.”
Chantal Describes Zeus’ Biggest Training Challenges: Zeus has separation anxiety/isolation distress—he doesn’t like being alone (or when people are separated). This anxiety made it difficult for Chantal to train Zeus to kayak with her because he doesn’t like people being in separate kayaks. Chantal says it is “almost like he wants to herd us together.”
Chantal describes Zeus’s Biggest Training Success: Zeus is a quick learner who picks up new tricks quickly. Chantal credits one-on-one training sessions with Kendra for making walks with Zeus pleasurable. Zeus also became well-behaved in stores and on patios, and his recall has improved.
“The biggest success,” Chantal says, “is the strong connection Zeus and I have formed. He trusts me and I trust him. During my first hike with Kendra, Zeus was pulling a lot and my arms were so sore. Kendra noticed and had an extra head harness for me to try and it made a huge difference. Now, these hikes are enjoyable.”
Zeus’s Most Rewarding Training Moments: Chantal can now take Zeus anywhere and have a nice experience with him. Zeus loves everyone, and is loved by everyone, but has now learned to give space to other people and dogs. Chantal describes a particularly rewarding moment: “I was so proud of how he walked with a new anxious dog during Cani-Trail. He sensed that that dog needed space and made the dog feel more comfortable.”
Kendra adds: “Chantal and Zeus are a perfect match, they both love life and enjoy living in the moment. It was such a pleasure teaching them as they already had a strong bond. Chantal is very good at making sure Zeus lives a fulfilled and happy life. They suit each other so well that meeting his mental and physical needs fits naturally into her life, as it should. He definitely is high energy so he needed help managing his energy. Chantal learned how to be proactive in teaching him where and how to use his energy so it was constructive.
Zeus certainly has come a long way, I see him demonstrating maturity on trails with his fellow doggie friends. He still loves their company and is playful but he can now remain calmer and even help newer dogs, younger dogs and even thoughtful dogs build confidence which speaks volumes to his socialization skills. I truly enjoy having Chantal and Zeus as part of our beautiful canine community.”
A very special “Thank You!” goes out to Chantal for providing so much fantastic content for this feature. You can follow Zeus on his Instagram page @ZeusSheepadoodle.
You can also followZENFULdog Training on Facebook to stay connected to your like-minded dog-loving community every day!
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